8 Crucial Global Regions That Were Completely Ignored In The Final Debate

Last night's presidential debate, the final meeting between the two candidates before voters head to the polls, was geared towards foreign policy.

Governor Romney and President Obama discussed some crucial issues in international affairs that will have an impact at home: the effects of the Arab Spring, the threat of Iran, their visions for American leadership, and the rise of China, among others.

Europe

Johannes Simon / Getty

Why you should care:

Europe is amidst one of the worst financial crisis in its history. The floundering of the Euro and its overarching effects has sparked protest and violence throughout the region. In Greece, a far-right, xenophobic political party, Golden Dawn, has obtained a surprising amount of seats in parliament (and reportedly opened up an office in New York City).

Granted, Governor Romney mentioned Greece offhand, but the Euro crisis and the U.S. role in solving it was not discussed substantively.

If the problem is not solved soon, the Euro crisis could lead to dire socio-economic problems in the U.S.

South China Sea

Beijing has been at the center of another contentious debate with the Philippines and Vietnam regarding the sovereignty of disputed territory in the South China Sea.

According to the Guardian, "the People's Daily said China's 'core interests' were at stake in its territorial claims across the South China Sea."

Mexico

Borderland Beat

Why you should care:

Illegal immigration coming from Mexico is as much a foreign policy issue as it is a domestic issue. But that's been discussed in prior debates. What wasn't discussed is how the U.S. plans to combat criminal groups that originate from Mexico whose activities affect the United States, specifically the cartels.

In fact, cartel structure is completely different than during the days of Pablo Escobar. Most Mexican cartels are not top-down, hierarchical organizations; they're network structured, in which they interact in "diverse forms and sizes of clusters," to achieve a myriad of other goals.

The changing nature of violent crime in Mexico that spills over into the United States requires a modus operandi that has adapted to this change.

South America

'Latin America' has been discussed by Governor Romney as a possible trading partner throughout the debates, including last night. But neither candidate touched on the security issues that stem from South America.

Because network-structured criminal organizations are harder to infiltrate and very good at establishing an efficient division of labor, South American criminal organizations have adapted the network structure as well.

Southeast Asia

The region is at a crossroads, and Myanmar is a telling example. It's a country of approximately 60 million people, and was under military from the 1960s until today. Democratic elements have been installed in the society and hundreds of political prisoners are being freed.

Still, Southeast Asia — and the "Golden Triangle" in particular — is responsible for an exorbitant proportion of the world's opium trade, and powerful international criminal groups have strong ties to the region.

Bonus: Transnational issues

Globalization has changed the nature of international politics in the 21st century. While states remain the primary players in geopolitical affairs, supra-national organizations, treaties, NGOs, and non-state actors (international criminal organizations, terrorist groups, etc.) have become crucial players that affect global affairs.

While terrorism was discussed at length, other international criminal activities and organizations -- such as piracy, human trafficking, and the drug trade, were not discussed; nor were the groups that engage in these activities, with the exception of Al-Qaeda (which actually exploits the opium production in Afghanistan for its own ends).